Did Alcoa ever manufacture aluminum Christmas trees? How can I find out more?

Alcoa did not manufacture aluminum Christmas trees, but many manufacturers used Alcoa aluminum in their construction. There is some information on aluminum trees and the companies who manufactured them at a web site for the Aluminum Tree and Ornament Museum. The Museum displays trees from its collection each Christmas season at various locations each year. If you want to learn more about the museum, see there is an article in the Washington Post or one from National Public Radio.

There may be more information on aluminum trees in our archives at the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society, located at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center.

Alumina is aluminum oxide produced from bauxite by a chemical process. It is a white powdery material that looks like granulated sugar. Alumina is an intermediate step in the production of aluminum from bauxite and is also a valuable chemical on its own. Alcoa is the world's leading supplier of alumina, and Alcoa aluminas exceed expectations for quality and performance while providing the basic materials to improve products and processes.

Back to top ^I collect corporate souvenirs. Where can I buy things like pens, pins or hats with Alcoa's name on them?

Take a quick trip to our Alcoa Logo Merchandise page, where you can find just about anything you could want printed with the Alcoa logo, either in stock or easy to customize.

The answer to that question lies in the ground and, more conveniently, right here on the Alcoa.com site. Go over to our It All Starts With Dirt page under "About", where you can find a 3-minute video on how we make aluminum and also the fun, interactive It All Starts With Dirt website, where you can learn even more about the process at all stages of production.

Back to top ^Where can I buy aluminum ingot, or any other Alcoa product?

Alcoa sells aluminum in various forms to customers all over the world. Visit our Products and Services section to see the things we sell and the locations they come from, and then request a quote. Or, check out our business-to-business commerce site, Alcoa Direct.

Ingot is a cast piece of bulk aluminum that is used for re-melting or fabricating. It is the first solid form that aluminum takes after the smelting process. An ingot, which can be either round or rectangular, is a convenient shape for handling, storage, or shipping. You can look for other frequently used terms on our Glossary page.

Alcoa no longer makes windows, and, unfortunately, by now the warranties on most Alcoa windows have run out. However, only if your windows are from the Alcoa MagnaFrame series, made from 1992 to 1996, you may call Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors toll-free at 1-(800)626-3105 for any warranty or technical information. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Alcoa has a great website that lets suppliers register to join our international supplier database. There you will find a form that you can fill out to tell us about you and your offerings. Your information will then be kept on file and directed to the appropriate personnel, and we'll contact you if we need more information.

Back to top ^I found an old aluminum teapot at a flea market, and it has a symbol on the bottom with the word "aluminum" crossed with the acronym "A.C.O.A." inside a shield. Did Alcoa make this teapot, and if so, is there any way to tell when it might have been made?

The A.C.O.A. acronym stands for the Aluminum Company of America, which was the company's name from 1907 to 1999, until the name officially changed to Alcoa. Our trademark has changed considerably over the years, from a circle to the shield on your teapot to the current blue square with an "A" inside. No matter what the appearance of the trademark has been, we have always signed our work with pride. Check out how the trademark has evolved over the years and see which time period each trademark fits into.

Early on in Alcoa's existence, back when it was still called the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, the first employee, Arthur Vining Davis, had a teakettle made out of Alcoa aluminum. He only wanted to demonstrate that there was a market for this metal that no one knew of, but when he took the teakettles to the Griswold Company of Erie, Pa, the owner insisted on ordering 2,000 kettles, and Alcoa was forced into the fabricating business. Now, we make thousands of products. Click on our product catalog to see them all.

You can view electronic versions or request print copies of many Alcoa publications on Alcoa.com. Go to our Invest page to see our current and past Annual Reports. You can also see our corporate and regional Sustainability Reports.

Back to top ^My friends are so envious of the WearEver cookware I bought over 40 years ago and still use almost every day, because it never burns food, it cleans in a snap, it's lightweight, and it still looks as great as the day I bought it. I haven't seen it for sale since I bought it from a salesman in the 1960s, but I would love to buy a few new pieces of WearEver for myself, and as gifts for my jealous friends. Do you still sell WearEver? Where can I buy it?

Alcoa no longer makes WearEver cookware, though we remember it fondly, and to this day it's an icon in cookware. Alcoa sold the WearEver business to a company called Mirro in 1982. You can find modern versions of WearEver cookware, along with a list of stores that sell them, at www.WearEver.com.

Back to top ^Didn't Alcoa once own CUTCO cutlery? Where can I find it now?

Yes, CUTCO Cutlery was introduced in 1948 as a new product for Wear-Ever Aluminum, which was a subsidiary of Alcoa. The name of the new cutlery line was derived from a company once owned by Wear-Ever, the Cooking UTensil COmpany - CUTCO.

Alcoa sold the company in 1982, but you can still buy CUTCO cooking utensils and find information about how to send your items for repair on CUTCO's website, www.cutco.com.